


One Last Time

by Chichirinoda



Category: Darker Than Black
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-22
Updated: 2010-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-13 23:44:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chichirinoda/pseuds/Chichirinoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is set at the end of the last episode of Season 1, a slight AU as if Misaki had been able to catch up to Hei right at the end. Can police woman and Contractor have one last night pretending not to be enemies, even though now there's no doubt that they are?</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FreezingRayne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreezingRayne/gifts).



"It's really such a shame," the old woman said as she led Kirihara Misaki up the stairs and over to Li's door. "I couldn't believe it when I heard - a nice boy like that being deported. They let a lot of much worse people stay in the country."

She unlocked the door and Misaki entered, glancing around the austere four-tatami room as she walked inside. There was no sign that anyone had ever lived here; no personal touches that could have given her a clue who the man was who had lived in this space.

She didn't know if BK-201 had been very thorough when he moved out, or if, as a logical Contractor, he simply hadn't bothered with any personal touches at all. Either would be perfectly believable to her. In fact, she wondered what she had expected. A row of masks lined up on the walls? A black coat hung up in the closet?

She had come over with an insane hope of finding _him_ , but when the landlady had informed her he was already gone, she had still asked to see the room. Now she wasn't sure why she'd bothered.

Misake stepped to the balcony, making polite noises in response to the woman's continuing chatter, and looked moodily out over the street. She was still trying to comprehend that she'd had dinner and laughed so easily with the charming man who'd lived in this room - and reconcile him with the killer she had hunted. She didn't know if she ever could.

Then she saw him: a dark head of hair, in that style she now knew like the back of her hand, and that oversized coat she'd seen so many times.

Without a word to the landlady, Misaki turned and tore out of the room at a dead run. She took the stairs two at a time and raced around the corner, running to catch up with the man she had seen.

She opened her mouth to call for him, then closed it again, thinking better of it. If he hadn't spotted her, he might be alerted by her call and disappear. Her phone rang in her pocket, but she slapped a hand against it to silence it. Work could wait. This time.

Her legs burned as she extended the sprint, running flat out despite her heels. She rounded a corner and saw him. He started to turn and she extended her arm, surging forward and clapping a hand on his arm just as she reached him, skidding to a halt.

She looked up at him, panting, sure that the man she'd just accosted would prove to be a stranger. The apology was already on her lips.

But as he turned his head to look down at her, obviously startled, she knew those eyes. She'd seen them looking up at her from behind a broken mask. She'd seen them, seen that dead stare over a smiling mouth, so many times. At first, she hadn't realized that Li Shenshun's smile never reached his eyes, but gradually as her suspicion about his identity had deepened, she had come to see it was true.

Now as he gazed down at her with no expression on his face, she felt fear for the first time.

 _What am I doing?_ she thought. _He can kill me with a single touch, and I **grab** him by the arm? What makes me think that I can trust him?_

"Li...kun," she managed between rapid breaths. "It is you."

Silence for a beat, and then he spoke. "I already told you," he said. "Li is dead. What do you want, Kirihara-san?"

She drew herself up, finally managing to catch her breath, and removed her hand from his arm. "I wanted...to talk to you," she said. She pushed her glasses up a bit - they'd slid down her nose a little as she ran - and then looked up at him with a faint smile, hoping that he'd understand.

He was searching her face with an odd expression. "You aren't going to arrest me," he said, cocking his head. "Why not?"

"Not right now," she admitted, feeling her heart beating rapidly in her chest. It seemed not to want to slow down, like the speed of it had little to do with the sprint. She wasn't even sure now why she'd pursued him in the first place. "I just wanted to talk, Li."

"Hei," he said, looking away.

She paused. "Pardon me?"

"Call me Hei," he said. His shoulders seemed to hunch slightly. "It was my Syndicate code name, but it's as good as any name for now."

 _Do you even have a real name, BK-201?_ she wondered, pursing her lips.

"Hei, then," she said softly.

He glanced back at her, that same searching look, and then away again, scanning the street. _Good lord, he really does think this is some kind of ambush,_ she thought with shock, feeling her cheeks flush slightly. If she'd had even a modicum of sense, it _would_ be a trap. She would be here as bait, a dozen squad cars at her beck and call, and the Black Reaper would be brought to justice.

Except not, since he'd likely just escape them once again.

And it didn't really matter, because she obviously _didn't_ have a modicum of sense. She demonstrated that again by touching his arm again with light fingers. "It's just me," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of the street before someone recognizes me."

He frowned at her. "You're an idiot," he said, dawning comprehension in his eyes. "You confronted me without backup? Again?"

She reddened. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked in a challenging tone.

His eyes flickered and he turned away again. "Not right now."

After a short silence, he started walking away. Misaki paused, unsure for a moment, but he glanced back at her and raised an eyebrow. "There's a good steak house this way. Aren't you coming?"

Heart pounding a little, she nodded and hurried to catch up.

Dinner was...interesting.

Though they were a little awkward at first, Misaki soon found herself relaxing. It was odd to spend time with Hei when he wasn't maintaining his Li persona - he was less quick to smile, more solemn and almost expressionless at times. But it suited him better somehow, and Misaki quickly realized that this man wasn't really that different from the one she had thought she knew.

Not at his core.

Hei didn't lack for emotion, but he was simply more controlled. He had a darker sort of passion, but he was no robot or doll. And there was still a charm about him, even if he was quieter and less likely to laugh. Even though his own words sometimes made her erupt in gales of laughter herself, he only smiled, perhaps chuckled softly, instead of indulging in the kind of unbridled laughter that she now knew had been forced and fake.

She still liked him just as much, and that frightened her half to death.

They talked of trivialities, avoiding any mention of Evening Primrose, the Gate, Contractors, police work, or the Syndicate. He was just as good a listener as he had always been, and Misaki now realized just how skilfully he'd manipulated her during their ‘date' a few days before. She had thought she'd been getting to know him, but really he had deflected all of her questions so well that she hadn't even noticed, learning all about her and telling her nothing of importance in return. It was shocking to her that after all of her experience with police interrogation, she had never noticed her own techniques being turned back upon her.

He was just as good at it tonight, but she was aware of it, and didn't try to push. She wasn't sure how much she really wanted to know.

Recognizing Hei - as Li - and sympathetic to his supposedly imminent deportation, the owner of the store gave them extra meat on their noodles and a small bottle of heated sake, which they shared more out of politeness than any desire to actually drink.

When the two of them had eaten their fill - which was a substantial amount of food, as always - Misaki found herself feeling a little dizzy as she made her way out of the restaurant. Hei was just beside her, and she struggled to hide her tipsiness as she stepped out of the doorway, down a short step onto the sidewalk. But as she took that step, she felt a crunch and tipped to one side with a yelp as her foot skidded out from under her.

A hand whipped out faster than she could see, catching her arm and steadying her before she could sprawl on the sidewalk. Her heart nearly stopped as she found herself practically in Hei's arms, the Contractor looking down at her searchingly.

"You didn't drink that much," he said.

"I know!" Misaki exclaimed, trying to straighten up a little and disengage herself. Her heart was beating too fast. "I broke a heel." It was actually a miracle that it hadn't broken earlier, during her headlong sprint down the street. She supposed that last step down had just been the straw that broke the camel's back.

He glanced down, checking for himself. "Hang on," he said, then lifted her into his arms. She bit down on a cry of surprise, grabbing for him to steady herself and wrapping her arms around his neck, blushing furiously. Thank god no one she knew was around here to see this! The ball-busting Police Chief being carried, broken shoe dangling from her stocking foot.

"Which way to your car?"

Stunned and still a little flustered, Misaki just gaped at him for a moment, then hesitantly nodded back towards his apartment complex. "I'm parked just outside your old place."

He frowned faintly, then sighed and started walking in that direction.

"You really don't have to!" she protested, eyes wide. "It'll be bad for you if you're seen, won't it?"

"It'll be fine." He looked to one side, at a puddle on the ground. "Yin, is the coast clear?"

Misaki stared at the puddle, but couldn't see anything. A doll observation ghost? Only Contractors could see those, and she saw nothing odd about the puddle at all. Had the doll been watching them this whole time?

Now that she thought about it, she probably had been.

Whatever answer Hei had gotten had obviously been good enough, because he didn't slow down. In fact, he sped up, trotting down the street with her in his arms like a bizarrely casual honeymoon couple, a groom with his blushing bride cradled in his arms. She could do nothing but cling to his neck and try to hide her face from any passersby.

Not that there were many. It was well past sundown now, and there were few people out on the quiet residential street. There was no one outside the apartment complex, though the landlady's suite was lit up from the inside. Hei moved swiftly and silently past the window and over to Misaki's car, then finally set her down on her feet.

His hands were so gentle and strong, it nearly made her dizzy, though perhaps that was the sake going to her head. She steadied herself on his arm, standing on one foot, and looked up at him.

"I'll never see you again," she said quietly.

"You shouldn't have seen me this time," he replied, a touch of wryness to his tone. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, but there was something wistful in his eyes.

She was silent for a moment, still holding onto his arm. Then, impulsively, she spoke again. "Will you come home with me?"

The startled look on his face made up for the fact that she'd just blushed a brilliant red and she was pretty sure her lungs weren't working properly. She was holding her breath, frightened to hear his response, regardless of whether it would be a yes or a no. When was the last time she'd invited a man home with her?

The simple answer was: she'd never done it.

Why had she done it this time? She couldn't say, except that there was something in his strength, in his faint smiles, in that way he was looking at her like he'd never had anyone ask him that question before and couldn't figure her out. It drew her like a moth to a flame. She knew this was wrong, all wrong, that he was a killer, and that she was crazy for even spending time with him.

But then again, she'd already gone on two dates with him, in a sense. Not to mention helped him pick out lingerie for a purpose she still couldn't fathom. She might as well dive in with both feet and get the crazy out all at once.

"Okay," he whispered, his fingers tightening on her upper arms. "If that's what you want, Misaki."

As she looked up at him, she realized suddenly that he looked slightly terrified. As terrified as she felt, and she tried to smile reassuringly as she drew away from his grasp and rummaged in her purse for her car keys.

He slid into the small car beside her, but didn't relax. He sat bolt upright in the bucket seat, looking out the window alertly as she drove, as if looking for signs of pursuit. She shot uncertain glances at him as she drove, wondering if she'd made a mistake. After everything that had happened, she couldn't blame him for being keyed up and nervous.

But he didn't say anything, and she just kept driving until she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex and turned off the car engine.

"I didn't know where you lived," he remarked quietly as he helped her out of the car and over to the elevator, her limping with one shoe shorter than the other.

 _Oh god,_ she thought with a slight chill. _Now BK-201 knows where I live._ Despite herself, the idea didn't have as much power as a part of her _thought_ it should.

She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor. It was shockingly easy to lean against him, a strong arm around her shoulders and the warmth of his body against hers. There was something hard under his jacket and she wondered if it were his double-bladed knife in an underarm sheath. That thought made her chest tighten all over again.

Panic was barely held at bay by the time they reached her door. She firmly pushed the feelings down, keying into the small apartment and finally toeing off her broken shoes. She put on a pair of indoor slippers and stepped into her living room, taking a seat on her sofa.

He stood just inside the door, hovering as if uncertain of what to do. Finally he bent and pulled off his own shoes, then hung up his jacket. He wore a black turtleneck underneath that hugged his chest and stomach like a lover, and she saw no sign of the bulge of a weapon in the black jeans he wore, which were tight enough that she was sure she'd have noticed if he had a gun in his pocket.

At that thought, she looked away, blushing and biting her lip.

He sat beside her, arms resting on his thighs and his body leaning forward, hair falling in his eyes. "Why did you bring me here?" he whispered. "You don't want me here."

The words were so unexpected, she looked up at him with her jaw slack. _I really am an idiot,_ she realized, her expression softening. What kind of life did this man have? Contractors trying to kill him every other day, everyone he knew betraying him or dying. She had seen the pain in him as he confronted Amber at Evening Primrose' high-rise stronghold.

His whole life had been turned upside-down, and he was now on the run from his own people. So far as Misaki knew, he was all alone in the world, a hunted monster, with no one but a doll to call an ally.

What right did she have to feel awkward?

She reached out and cupped his cheek, turning his head to look towards her. "I want you here. Please...I'm sorry, Hei. I'm not exactly-- I don't exactly do this every day. But I promise you I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't want you here." She could hear the earnest sincerity in her own voice and hoped he would believe her.

He gazed at her, dark eyes so difficult to read. Then the corners of his lips twitched upwards wryly. "Are you really trying to tell me that you don't invite wanted Contractors back to your apartment every day, Police Chief Kirihara?" As he spoke, he lifted a hand, sliding it into her hair and curving his fingers around to the back of her head. Her skin tingled where he touched her, and not from electricity.

She laughed softly, the sound coming out a little too high and nervous. "I'm pretty sure this is my first time."

He laughed in return. Then their lips met and Misaki was lost in the taste of him, the heat of his breath mingling with hers.

He didn't lack for passion, no matter what they said about Contractors. In a moment he had pushed her flat onto her back on the sofa, one knee planted between her thighs, his lips pressed to hers with a soft, ragged moan.

Her own heart leaped, her breathing coming faster, but this time it wasn't with fear. She buried a hand in his soft hair, her body rising to meet his with a soft gasp. Her other hand groped almost mindlessly at his shirt, pulling it up and skimming fingertips over a smooth back, marked by the occasional scar.

There was nothing slow about their lovemaking. They didn't pause to savour one another and explore each other's bodies. Though there was no need to rush, there was urgency to their movements as they tore at each other's clothing - their desire too strong and suppressed too long to hold back now.

Misaki let out a cry as he spread her open, entering her with a soft gasp and a shuddering groan. They moved together fast, hands clinging and lips seeking any flesh they could reach.

Pleasure soon spiralled up and exploded inside Misaki's senses, and she gave a loud, helpless scream as she writhed under his weight. He came with a soft grunt a moment later, his face buried in her small breasts and his fingers combing ceaselessly through her hair like he was memorizing the texture.

She lay, panting, hair a mess and clothing strewn around them on the floor. His own breaths were hot against her throat.

"Can...can you stay? A little?" she whispered.

He nodded, a quick, jerky motion, and his arms tightened possessively around her.

They moved to the bed, collapsing together to the mattress in a tangle of limbs. Their second round of lovemaking was no less passionate, still almost desperate with need for one another, but they took their time. It was a slow movement of sweat-slick bodies, gentle touches, mapping out each other's bodies and memorizing one another with their fingertips.

The climax was no less intense, and Misaki was no better able to hold back her cries as they moved together through orgasm the second time.

As Misaki lay drowsing, one of Hei's arms around her shoulders and the other hand resting on her stomach, she whispered. "I really will never see you again."

He shook his head and murmured, "Yin and I are going to leave Japan."

"Just as well," she sighed, eyes closed and body so relaxed her muscles were tingling. She turned to pillow her head against his chest, almost burrowing into him. "Because the next time I see you, I'll have to arrest you."

"Good," he said, smiling into her hair. "That's what you should do." She smiled as she drifted off, warm in his embrace.

He was gone before dawn, the only sign he had ever been there a quickly scrawled note on her coffee table.

  
_Dear Misaki,_

 _Thank you. It was good to see you one last time._

 _Yours, Li Shenshun_


End file.
